hydro vs. electric radiant heat
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I’m thinking of installing between joist radiant heat for a reno job. I’ve just started to do the research on this subject. What are the pros and cons of hydro vs. electric? What is the most energy efficient? Thanks!
I’m thinking of installing between joist radiant heat for a reno job. I’ve just started to do the research on this subject. What are the pros and cons of hydro vs. electric? What is the most energy efficient? Thanks!
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Replies
I think you'll find the tubes with fluid is MUCH cheaper to run than electric resistance. Electric resistance is the baseline for producing heat. It is the "1" that boilers compare their 3.2 or whatever to.
jt8
"Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame." -- Erica Mann Jong
Which is most energy efficient? Depends on what you mean.
Electric is 100% efficient, but then so is hot water heat, once the water leaves the boiler. A modern boiler is in the 90% efficient range, while there's negligible loss for electric once it reaches your house, so seemingly electric is more efficient by 10%.
However, from coal/oil/gas into the generating plant until the electricity reaches your house is only about 30-40% efficient.
Of course, for oil heat in particular, extraction, transportation, and refining probably eats about 40% leaving it 50-60% efficient.
happy?
"Of course, for oil heat in particular, extraction, transportation, and refining probably eats about 40% leaving it 50-60% efficient."You have many of those same extraction/delivery energy cost in natural gas also.Probably not has high of a percent as for oil, but they are certainly there.But most people misuse efficiency where what they are really concerned with is cost effectness.And that depends on local energy cost. Specially electric rates and plans.
Yeah,I don't have all the figures available (I believe there was an article in Scientific American about two years ago with the best available numbers) so I didn't try get much more detailed and specific. It suffices to say, though, that remarkably little of any sort of energy source actually reaches the consumer, when you factor in all various ways that energy is used/lost getting the power to you.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
check out Enerjoy.com.
This guy makes ceiling mounted electric radiant panels--nifty little things for the right application---but plum ugly.
However, he has some nice info on how electric radiant heat works. In cheap moment, I passed over the oil/radiant tube heat and installed electric radiant when replacing some old electric baseboard, and my electric bill is not over 500.oo in the winter, for 2000 sq. ft.
Besides, it's all in the insulation and air sealing!